


Magical

by simpleapricot



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:35:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26007343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpleapricot/pseuds/simpleapricot
Summary: After seeing Shiny Chariot's show, Akko becomes inspired to learn English. After years of effort, she is ready to apply to Luna Nova Academy, much to her mother's surprise.In other news: Professor Finnelan is reading a particularly strange application to Luna Nova.
Comments: 22
Kudos: 45





	1. Magical

Mrs. Kagari was going to need more bandages.

"Owwwwww..."

Her daughter, _once again_ , needed to be patched up after she, _once again_ , had fallen down the big hill near their house because, as the girl explained _once again_ , "This time I was sure I would be able to fly like Chariot!" 

Akko grimaced as her mother cleaned yet another scratch from her latest tumble, only for it to morph into a bright smile when she noticed that her mother had brought out the Shiny Chariot bandages. Mrs. Kagari stifled a laugh. Her daughter was nothing if not consistent. She briefly wondered if they were right to feed into the girl's obsession by taking her to that Shiny Chariot show. Thinking back on Akko's sparkling eyes and joyous shouts, it was hard to feel that she had done anything wrong...

Mrs. Kagari's reverie was interrupted as her attention focused on the intense look of concentration on Akko's face. One could almost see the gears turning in the girl's head as she examined the unfamiliar English lettering spelling out "Shiny Chariot: Magical Festa" on the bandage. 

Unease crept into the mother's features. Mrs. Kagari knew that look well. Just this past week, Akko had decided in a stroke of "genius" that climbing onto the roof with her broom was the _perfect_ way to learn to fly. She braced herself for yet another patient explanation of how the girl's brilliant ideas could land her in the hospital, or worse. Not that Akko would listen.

"Mom, I want to learn English!" Her daughter's eyes lit up as she blurted out the idea.

Well, this was new. Akko wanted to learn something _useful_? Mrs. Kagari couldn't let this incredible opportunity go to waste. The best thing she could do is just agree, no need to pry into her daughter's motivations...

"Why is that, sweetie? You've never wanted to learn English before—" Gah. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

"All of Shiny Chariot's best stuff is in English! If I'm going to go to Luna Nova and become a witch like her, I need to know English too! Can I, Mom? Can I? _Can I?_ " Akko pleaded. 

Of course it was because of Shiny Chariot. Everything her daughter did had something to do with the witch. Mrs. Kagari wanted to shake her head. As she looked down at Akko, her gaze focused, for just a moment, on one of the bandages she had just applied. The English words stared back at her, just like the performer herself. Perhaps she could make this work.

Had anyone been watching, they might have remarked that Mrs. Kagari looked remarkably like her daughter when she was plotting something.

The next day, Mrs. Kagari burst into her house toting the materials she needed for her plan: brochures for after-school English programs, textbooks, and—most importantly—a pile of Shiny Chariot merchandise, all in English.

She was almost worried her daughter would faint.

\------

Akko was lying on her bed, her eyes jumping back and forth between the two books in front of her. One, _Shiny Chariot and Alcor's Adventure in the Big Apple_ , was brand new, with a cover matching dozens of other Shiny Chariot books on her shelf. The other, _The Complete English-Japanese Dictionary_ , was well-worn, its pages dog-eared, bookmarked, and covered with notes. Its weight made a sizeable dent in the bed. 

"Let's see, _subway_... _subway_...there!" She marked the page in her dictionary, looked back to the novel, and broke out in laughter. "I never realized birds even took the train!"

Mrs. Kagari watched this scene play out before her much as it had for the better part of the past few years. Her plan had worked to perfection. In fact, it might have worked a bit too well. She looked down at the note in front of her. It was from Akko's teacher, who complained that she was "disrupting" student learning by using only English...in Japanese class.

Never change, Akko.

Well, maybe change a little. Mrs. Kagari wasn't sure she could keep up with this forever. Yet, when she looked at the 'A+' in English on Akko's report card, the woman wondered what else her daughter could do if she set her mind to it. Her gentle smile turned downward. What would happen to all of her progress when Akko gave up her obsession with Shiny Chariot?

Another laugh rang out from the next room. "No Alcor! You can't perch there!"

It's not like Akko's interest in Shiny Chariot will last forever, right?

\------

Akko's interest in Shiny Chariot was going to last forever, and it was going to be the death of Mrs. Kagari.

The girl, now in middle school, was sitting in front of the television watching a recording of Shiny Chariot's performance in San Francisco. They had ordered the DVD from the United States, so there were no Japanese subtitles, although that didn't seem to faze Akko, who clearly understood every word. She peppered her mother with comments on the show.

"Mom! Did you know that this spell right here—"

 _Was invented by Shiny Chariot?_ Yes, Mrs. Kagari did know. She had been involuntarily subjected to a barrage of Shiny Chariot facts for the better part of the last decade.

"Mom! Look at that centaur transformation! Shiny Chariot—"

 _Did that same transformation at her show in Tokyo?_ Yes, Mrs. Kagari knew that too. Yet, looking at the sheer joy on Akko's face, she couldn't bring herself to ask Akko to stop, even at the potential cost of her sanity.

That didn't stop her from breathing a sigh of relief when the credits began to roll.

"I really want to be like Chariot." Akko breathed wistfully, looking off into the distance for a moment before a flash of recognition crossed her face. The girl spun around and locked eyes with her mother.

"That reminds me, I finally sent in my application to Luna Nova! I'm on my way to becoming a witch like her!"

Thinking back on it, Mrs. Kagari was surprised she hadn't fallen out of her chair.

"You...what?—" Akko paid her mother no heed, continuing through her speech at a mile a minute.

"I did it, just like I always said I would! Their address was hard to find though. They don't have a website or anything. I think my essay was really good too—"

"Akko"

"I talked all about how much I love Shiny Chariot! She was—"

"Akko!"

"—such an inspiration and I wanted them to know—"

_"Kagari Atsuko!"_

The girl stopped. Her mouth was still hanging open as if frozen in the middle of a sentence. Her mother pinched the bridge of her nose, choosing her words carefully. Akko had done a lot of foolish things, but this was on another level.

"Atsuko...what possessed you to apply to a high school, on another continent, without even telling your parents?"

Akko's eyes opened in genuine surprise. "What do you mean? I told you when we...no, wait...maybe last week? No, that's not right—In any case. What does it matter? You've always known that I was going to Luna Nova, right? Since I was a kid, I was talking to you two about it!"

Well, Akko wasn't wrong. Yet, Mrs. Kagari still wondered how her daughter could be so ignorant of how things worked in the real world. She didn't seem to appreciate the difference between having a dream and taking the real, concrete steps to follow it. Mrs. Kagari had always wanted to be an astronaut, but she had never even thought of actually applying to join the space program.

"Sweetie..."

"You even had me learn English! Why else would I have spent so much time on it?"

Oh.

Just like that, it became clear to Mrs. Kagari what she had been doing to her daughter all these years. 

She had manipulated her.

She had given Akko false hope. 

"I—"

The words caught in her throat. Much as she knew she should, Mrs. Kagari couldn't admit it. 

She couldn't admit that she had lied to her daughter.

"I...It's just that they don't let people who aren't from witch families study magic..."

"Don't worry about that! I talked all about how Chariot inspired me, how I want to study magic. How I'm going to be a great witch..." Akko looked off into the distance, and, after a moment's hesitation, cracked a smile "I'm sure they'll understand. It's destiny after all!"

Her mother remained silent.

Akko's smile faded. "You'll support me, right?"

Mrs. Kagari hesitated. There was only one way to make this right, but she wasn't sure if she would be able to say the words.

"Y...yes, Akko. I will support you."

This time, Mrs. Kagari actually did fall out of her chair, because her daughter's hug had come crashing into her at such force that they both ended up on the floor.

"You know...we'll have to talk to your father, and..."

"THANK YOU, MOM!" 

There was only one word to describe the feelings Mrs. Kagari felt upon seeing her daughter's overjoyed expression whose radiance was crowding out all her worries and fears.

Magical.


	2. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Professor Finnelan and Headmistress Holbrooke read Akko's application.

“This is ridiculous. You aren't actually considering admitting her to attend this school, are you?"

The application Headmistress Holbrooke had given her was quite unusual. The letter attached was filled with paragraph after paragraph of praise for a certain performer Professor Finnelan had tried to keep from her mind for the past decade.

_"Shiny Chariot's show helped me understand my own destiny."_

Completely absurd.

_"I want to attend Luna Nova Academy and become a great witch like her!"_

Given the wholly unprofessional and undignified approach the letter had taken, Professor Finnelan was rather surprised at how composed the final paragraph was.

_"For the aforementioned reasons, I wish to formally apply for admission to Luna Nova Academy, and for funding through the Luna Nova Exchange Scholarship for Japanese Witches."_

Remarkably, the required attachments were all there too. One in particular caught her eye, the Statement of Magical Lineage.

It spoke louder than any of the soaring paragraphs in the girl's essay, even though it contained only two words.

_"Not Applicable."_

Headmistress Holbrooke took the opportunity to speak.

"Professor Finnelan, you can see now that admitting this girl would bring some much-needed funding our way?" 

"B-but..."

"We haven't had a Japanese applicant in years. The scholarship funding has gone unused. It is not like Ms. Kagari lacks enthusiasm"

Professor Finnelan looked up at the headmistress, who wore a gentle smile.

"Besides, how much trouble could one girl possibly cause?"

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! This is my first Little Witch Academia fanfic. I watched this series recently, and I couldn't get it out of my head. I had always wondered just how Akko spoke English so well, so I tried to come up with my best guess as to how it might have happened. I hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> I would be more than grateful for any constructive criticism anyone wants to offer.


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